Rottweilers kill girl's pony

A SHETLAND pony belonging to a five-year-old girl has been mauled to death by two Rottweilers. The girl's family have told of their horror after the attack in a field off Clough End Lane in Haslingden, Lancs.

A SHETLAND pony belonging to a five-year-old girl has been mauled to death by two Rottweilers.

The girl's family have told of their horror after the attack in a field off Clough End Lane in Haslingden, Lancs.

The pony belonged to Vanessa Smith's daughter, Shannon, and had been named after her.

Vanessa, 29, from Hud Rake in Haslingden, said: "It was an incredibly gentle creature which my daughter adored and I just don't know how you explain to a five-year-old that something like this has happened.

"This has come as a terrible shock which has upset everyone in the family.

"It doesn't even bear thinking about what would have happened if my daughter had been with the pony when those dogs attacked."

Residents living nearby heard an animal in distress and alerted the police who sent marksmen.

The marksmen shot the dogs at the scene and discovered that the pony was already dead. It is understood the two dogs had escaped from a nearby property.

The owners of the dogs have been traced by police and an investigation is continuing.

Insp Dave Hodson said: "We gave every consideration to dealing with the dogs as humanely as possible but sadly it was necessary for us to take immediate action. We will now be looking into how the dogs managed to escape from what appears to be a secure compound."